Apparatus for feeding sheets vertically



July 3, 1951 Filed Jan. 24, 1946 July 3, 1951 c. w. s PoHR 2,558,989

APPARATUS FOR F'EEDING SHEETS VERTICALLY Filed Jan. 24, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Zgfu u I llilllllwlw@ N l i j l I l Q Il@ l l l r l @lm fm@ July 3, 1951 c. w. sPoHR 2,558,989

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SHEETS VERTICALLY Filed Jan. 24, 1946 5 sheets-sheet 4 C. W. SPOHR APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SHEETS VERTICALLY July 3,1951

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 24, 1946 patented `uly 195i APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SHEETS VERTICALLY Carl W. Spohr, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Curtiss Candy Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application January 24, 1946, Serial No. 643,014

9 Claims. l

There have been many devices for feeding individual sheets or pieces from a pile. The most reliable, known as suction feeders, have included a suction device coming down on top of the pile and seizing one sheet to separate it from the others. These have usuaily operated in conjunction with pile-elevating mechanisms to keep the top of the pile at the proper level for the suction device. Inthe past these pile-elevating mechanisms have been quite complicated. One of the features of the present invention is the provision of a simple pile-elevating mechanism.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a simple feeder especially desirable for use in feeding sets of bags to be lled. The bags are first turned upright and then, in proper timed relationship, are moved through a guideway into the control of the filling conveyor by the simple expedient of a blast of air.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and from the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view partly broken away of the form of the invention chosen for illustration;

Fig. 2 is a top View of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 3, 4, and are vertical, sectional views taken approximately on the lines 3 3, 4 4, and 5-5 respectively in Fig. l; Fig. 6 is a view corresponding to Fig. 5 but showing the parts in different positions;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal, sectional view of the valve mechanism taken on the line 1 1 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal view partly in section of the suction head, the section being taken approximately on the line 8-8 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the control of eccentric 52 which returns the control switch to off position;

Fig. l0 is a fragmentary sectional View showing the biasing spring for the suction head which is operated against the tension of the spring by the cam. y

Although the law requires a full and exact description of at least one form of the invention, such as that which follows, it is, of course, the purpose of a patent to cover each new inventive concept therein no matter how it may later be disguised by variations in form or additions of further improvements; and the appended claims The apparatus is especially designed for feeding a piece comprising a set of 12 bags on a cornmon backing member and the piece may, therefore, be referred to as a bag set.

As seen in Fig. l, the feeding apparatus chosen for illustration lifts the top bag set from a pile II, turns it upright, and feeds in to a conveyor unit which may include slide I2 and chains I3. To accomplish this, a suction head I4 is swung to the top of the pile as seen in Fig. 6. Suction is applied thereto by operation of valve I6. The suction head I4 is raised to the position shown in Fig. 5. A guide plate I1 is swung into place forming a channel I8 between it and the suction head I4. When valve I6 is controlled to shut off the suction and release the piece which has been raised by the suction head I4, the piece is blown by an air nozzle I9, seen best in Fig. 2, into the control of the conveyor. Proper registration oi' the bag set with respect to the conveyor is accomplished by blowing the bag set against a stop member 2l carried by the chain I3.

Drive The mechanism is driven by a motor 23' which, through a gear box 24, drives a main shaft 26. As seen best in Fig. 5 the shaft 26 carries a plurality of cams 21, 28, and 29. The cam 21 operates plunger 3I of valve I6.. AThe cam 28 operates the guide plate I1, and the cam 29 operates suction'head I4. The guide plate I1'is carried by arms 32 journalled to the frame at 33 and urged toward the position shown in Fig. 5 by spring 34. The arms 32 are moved from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 6 by the thrust of cam 28 on cam follower roller 36.

The suction head I 4 is carried by arms 31 which are carried by shaft 38. The shaft 38 is biased toward the position shown in Figs. 3 and 5 by a spring similar to the spring 34. The shaft 38 and arms 31 are moved to the position shown in Fig. 6 by cam 29 acting on cam follower roller 4I.

Cycle control In the illustrated apparatus, the feeder does not operate continuously but operates in intermittent cycles, a cycle being initiated automatically at the proper time for feeding another bag set. The intermittent operation is obtained by starting and stopping motor 23. This motor is controlled by mercury switch 43 which is mounted on control shaft 44. Between cycles the mercury switch 43 is held in the off position by a latch mechanism shown inA Fig. 4. When'the bag set B in Fig. 4 has advanced to a predetermined point along the conveyor, a pin 46 carried by one of the chains I3 strikes latch lever 41 pivoting it and releasing latch member 48 so that it and shaft 44 are rotated by spring 49, thus tilting the mercury switch 43 to the on position. Just before the end of one revolution, a lug 5I (Fig. 5) carried by cam 28 strikes an eccentric 52 on shaft 44' and rocks the shaft 44 E v l.)

back to the position shown in Fig. 4 compressing the spring '49 and tilting the mercury switch 43 to the off position. 'The motor 23 has 'enough overrun so that the lug I rides slightly past the eccentric so as not to block its movement to the on position When the latch 43 is next released.

Air control Shortly after the start of the cycle, cam 21- actuates pin 3l of the valve I6 thrusting valve plunger 53 to the right in Fig. 7. The first part of the movement moves the plunger 5,3 from the seat 54 so as to connect the hose 56 leading to the suction head I4 with the suction supply hose 51 which may be connected to any suitable suction pump. Loss of suction byvflow of air through ports 58 isalmostimmediately prevented by further movement vof the plunger 53 in which it telescopes over plug 59, the latter sealing the right-handend of plunger 53. l

AAfter thesuction head1 has raised a bag set to-Pthe vertical position and. the guide plate I1 hasfbeen brought toits guiding position as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the cam 21 moves to a position torelease the pin 3'I and plunger 53. The plunger 53-seats on seat 54 shutting off the suctionrr from the suction head and' moves 'away from plug -59 connecting thes-ucti'on head hose 56 with the atmosphere through ports 58 and 6I. The plunger 53, as Well as the other operating parts, is,v ofcourse, Well .lubricated with oil and the oil serves as a seal.

When the suctionv on suction head I4 is thus relieved by connectionV` of the suction head through hose 56 and ports 58 and 6I with atmosphere, the bag set which has been raised is released. fvAir constantlyblowing through nozzle |19- Ais'theneffective to blow the bag toward Vthe endl into the conveyor form-ed in part by chains I3. Of course, the bag set tends to drop as it is blown and a guidevvay- 63 is provided for limiting the downward movement of the bag set and guiding itonto the'conveyor'slide I2. The nozzle I9 maybe constantly supplied with compressed air by a hose 64 which may be connected to any suitable source ofcompressed air supply. It may be noted that compressed air `is used in other parts of the machine for which the feeder is especially'intended, so that it is readily available. -F'rom the foregoing it is seen that 'the bag set' is separated from the pile and is fed Vto the conveyor in a very simple manner. ln the conveyor the -bags'mayY be fed, after passing beyond the /rangeof the blast from nozzle I9, either Vby the chains I3 or byA being loosely gripped between belts or other moving means.

Pile 'elevator As seen best in Fig.` 3, the pile II rests on elevator platform 66. This platform is urged upwardly 'by counterweight 61 acting through chain 68 and rod B9. The rod 69 alsov serves to guide the platform 6B in its upward movement sliding smoothly in sleeve 1 I.

In order for the suction feeder to Work properly, the topV of the pile II should be quite close to the level at Which the face of the suction head Will be horizontal'. According to the present inventi'on, this is accomplished ina very simple manner. As 'the suction headv is depressed tothe position shown in Fig. 6, a shoulder 1.2 carried.

by the shaft 38, which also carries the suction.

head and arms 31, strikes a release rod 1-3-which engages a lock. bar 14 and presses it toward a horizontal" position. When the lock bar 14 is in the horizontal position, a hole therein is aligned with sleeve II so that rod' 69 masl be moved upward freely bythe counterweight 61. It will, therefore, raise the pile II, as the suction head I4 is raised from the Fig. 6 position, until the rod 69 is gripped by the lock lever 14. Since the locking will be uniformly effective at a given position of the arms 31, it is evident that the top ofthe pilev II may be maintained at a fairly constant level. This level may be adjusted by adjustment nut 16 on release rod 13. The weight 61 is sufciently heavy to press the bags quite rmly against suction head I4 so that they will reliably seal the suction openings therein. Preferably, the passage to each opening isu reduced so that one unsealedopening will not let in so much air that therewillbe insufficient sucltion at the other openings. l

The lock lever- 14 is made eife'ctive by being pivoted vupwardly about pivot 11, the lock lever being urged in that direction by a spring 18; the tension of- Which -is adjustable. This spring does not need toapply the full lock force because friction between rodi 69- and lock lever 14V will increase the locking action of the lo'ck'lever 1'4 once the locking effect begins.

At any time the platform 69 may be pressed downwardlyby'hand toadd more bag sets to the pile II. The downward movement `*of rodr 69 automatically releases the lock-ing action of lock lever 14.A r-I-headditional bag sets are supplied to the pile I-I between-the cycles, or at least after the suction head I4 has raised one bag therefrom. There is plenty of time to make 'this simple operation Without stopping the machine. The first time the suction head `I4 comes down on the pile after the pile has been increased; the platform 66 is automatically adjusted toZ bring the top of Vthe pile to the Vright level.

Suction head Although the suction head Vmaytake a variety of forms, that illustrated in Fig.l 8 is at present preferred and has some advantagesfof simplicity and dependability; Arms '3*1 carry blocks 8i' and 82 to whichy thevsvucticnhead orf'aceplate I4' is attached. A pipe connection yor nipple 83" is threaded into block 8`-I and toit is connected hose i56- by which suction -is suppliedfrom the valve I6. A second pipe 85 is threaded-into the other side of block 8|' andv extendsinto blockA 82; Suction ports 84 arefprovid'edI through` blocks 8I and-82 and also through/an intermediate block 86. It has been found that v-thethree'si-icti'on ports opening onto lthe'faceA ofthe-suction head- I41 are suicient. lThe pipe `85 -is provided with a port 81 at a position lying within'the block 286 and communicating with the suction port therein. 'Ilo sealthe pipe-84 tothe blocks 82`and 86, packing sleeves 88 are provided and tightened into position by screws as shown.

Operation Although the general'. operation was set forth at. the beginning .of thed'escription, a more-detailed statement thereof may vbe lhelpfull in un'-y derstanding theinvention. 4'

At the start of the cycle Vthe parts are ape proximately in the positions shown in Figs.l 1` to and 7. At the proper time, when the previously fed bag-set has advanced far enough tofbefout of the way, a'pin 46 `strilres'datch lever' 41: re.- leasing latch member 48 to Vpermit spring 49 to, rock shaft 44, tilting. mercury" switch 43., and starting the motor 23. The motor 23 drives cams assesses' 21, 28, and 29. Cams 28 falmost immediately moves guide plate Il from the Fig. Sposition to the Fig. 6 position. 'Cam 29 begins at about the same time to remove the suction head I4 from the Fig. 5 position to the Fig. 6 position. During this movement the cam 21 operates valve I6 to apply `suction to the suction head I4.

As the suction head I4 approaches the position of Fig. 6, shoulder 'I2 strikes release bar I3 leveling lock lever ld to thereby releaserod 69 which is again locked as the suction head I4 begins its upward movement. This momentary release of the lock bar 'F4 permits the platform 66 to assume the proper position to bring the top of the pile II'to the desired height.

As the suction head. I4 is permitted to raise by`cam'29 it carries a bag set with it to the position shown in Fig. 3.

Cam 28 then permits the guide plate I'I to assume the position shown in Fig. 3, forming a passage for the longitudinal movement of the bag set B. Thereafter, the cam 2l releases valve stem 3| so that valve plunger 53 shuts off the Vacuum and connects the suction head I4 to atmosphere thereby releasing the bag set which had been held by the suction head. Thereupon, the constant blast of air from nozzle I9 is effective to blow the bag set between the chains I3 so that it is moved along by the conveyor closely following the preceding bag set. The proper positions of the bag sets relative to the chains are determined by their being blown against stops 2 I. The bags, as thus positioned or registered and while still under the influence of the air blast, may, if desired, move into the bite of friction means, such as a pair of belts.

From the foregoing it is seen that a very simple and reliable feeding mechanism has been provided in which the top of the pile is automatically maintained at the right height, the top bag set is separated from the pile, turned to a vertical plane, and advanced into a conveyor.

I claim:

1. A feeder for individually feeding verticallydisposed pieces from a pile of horizontal pieces including a suction head, means for swinging the suction head to a horizontal position to seize the top piece of a pile and to a Vertical position to raise and swing the top piece to a vertical disposition, guide means and means for moving the guide means to form a passageway between it and the suction head, means for applying suction to the suction head when it is in the horizontal position and relieving said suction after said passageway has been formed, and means for blowing the piece along said passageway when the suction has been released.

2. A feeder including a suction head movable between a seizing position and a release position, effective in its movement to tilt a seized piece and effective in its release position to cooperate with other means to form a passageway, means for applying suction to the suction head when it is in the seizing position and relieving said suction when it is in the release position, and means for blowing the piece along said passageway when the suction has been released.

3. A feeder including a suction head movable between a seizing position and a release position, effective in its movement to tilt a seized piece and effective in its release position to cooperate with other means to form a passageway, means for applying suction to the suction head when it is in the seizing position and relieving said suction when it is in the release position, and

means comprising a nozzle `constantly discharging a jet of air for blowing the piece along said passageway when the suction has been released.

4. A feeder including a suction head movable between a seizing position and a release position, effective in its movement to tilt a seizedpiece and leffective in its release position to cooperate with other means to form a passageway, means for applying suction to the suction head -when it is in the seizing position and relieving said suction when it is in the release position, means comprising a nozzle constantly discharging a jet of air for blowing the pieces along said passageway when the suction has been released, and a pile-elevating mechanism operated in conjunction with the suction head to position the top of the pile for co-action with the suction head.

5. A feeder including a suction head movable 'between a seizing position and a release position, effective in its movement to tilt a seized piece and effective in its release position to cooperate with other means to form a passageway, means for applying suction to the suction head when it is in the seizing position and relieving said suction when it is in the release position, means for blowing the piece along said passageway when the suction has been released, a motor for driving the feeder, and means for starting the motor in timed relationship to an associated device and for stopping the motor at the end of one cycle of the feeder.

6. A feeder for individually feeding pieces from a pile including a suction head, means for moving the suction head to the pile to seize the top piece of the pile and to a different position over a support, means for applying suction to the suction head when it is at the top of said pile and until it reaches the position over said support and for discontinuing the suction while the suction head is in such position to drop said piece on said support, means adapted to form a passageway for the piece on said support, and means for blowing the piece along said passageway when the suction has been released.

7. A feeder for individually feeding pieces from a pile in tandem relationship and each registered with other equipment, including a conveyor having a registration stop associated therewith, a suction head, means for moving the suction head to the pile to seize the top piece of the pile and to a different position over a support, means for applying suction to the suction head when it is at the top of said pile and until it reaches the position over said support and for discontinuing the suction while the suction head is in such position `to drop said piece on said support, means adapted to form a passageway for the piece on said support, and means for blowing the piece along said passageway into control of the conveyor and against the registration stop when the suction has been released.

8. A feeder for individually feeding verticallydisposed pieces from a pile of horizontal pieces including a suction head mounted to swing about a fixed axis, means for swinging the suction head to a horizontal position to seize the top piece of a pile and for swinging it upwardly to a vertical position to raise and swing the top piece to a vertical disposition, guide means and means for moving the guide means into the path of movement of the suction head following its upward movement to a position cooperating with it in its vertical position to form a passageway for the vertically-disposed piece, means for applying suction to the suction head when it is in the horiontal lposition and discontinuing the suction after said passageway has been formed, and means for moving the piece along said passageway Awhen the suction has been released.

9 feeder including a suction head movable about a fixedv axis between a seizing position and a vertically-disposed released position, effective inits movement to tilt a seized piece and effective in its release position to cooperate with other means to form the laterallyl supporting guides 0f a passageway, means for applying suction to the Suction head when it is in the seizing position and discontinuing the suction when it is in the release position, and means for moving the piece in an axial .direction along said` passagewaywhen the suction has been releasedi CARL W. SPOHR.

REFERENCES -o'i'rn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

